


The Boy in Love

by Ladyhawk_lhflu



Series: The Two Sides of the Moon [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Remus Lupin, Angst, M/M, Werewolf Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-01-16 20:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21276932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyhawk_lhflu/pseuds/Ladyhawk_lhflu
Summary: Sirius thought taking care of the wolf was hard. But that's nothing compared to what he has to do to  take care of Remus.





	The Boy in Love

Sirius stared as Remus slept. He knew what he had to do. But he also knew that he was bad at expressing himself. James usually helped him stumble through talking with his friends. The boys and girls who had previously caught his eye, well, usually touch was enough to say what he needed to.

But this was Remus, the one who spun Sirius's world on its axis.

Sirius didn't know when it happened. But he knew the minute he recognized the wolf inside the tawny haired young man that he would be the one taking care of it. Because he wanted to take care of the one who suffered because of it.

At the time, he hadn't really thought beyond that. But now he knew that Remus meant as much to him as James did. In some ways, the lycanthrope meant even more. He didn't want to bow his head to James. He didn't want to shiver under the seeker's touch. He didn't want to see how much touching dark hair could please.

He wanted to do all that to Remus, and soon. But he knew his friend well enough to know he would have to talk first. It would probably hurt (talking about his feelings usually did), but this time it might be worth the pain.

So he sat in the chair next to the bed and waited for the one who helped ensure that his soul wasn't as black as his name to awaken.

Sirius had almost fallen asleep himself when he felt thin fingers run through his hair. He wasn't surprised to open his eyes to amber ones staring back at him. The surprise came when hazel reappeared. The hand in his hair didn't stop its motion.

"Hi," he said softly, afraid to move.

"Hi," Remus returned, actually cupping the back of Sirius's head gently. "How was last night?"

"It was like chasing after a baby. A very big baby. Well, most of the time," Sirius leaned into Remus's hand and tried to stifle a sigh of contentment.

Moony didn't seem panicked by him wanting to be close. He was more concerned about the wolf. Remus frowned. "What did it do?"

"Um, tried to show Padfoot how much he liked him." Sirius sighed as the hand left his head. "James and I didn't let him do anything. He shouldn't be the one to choose your mate. You should be the one to choose."

"Sirius, the curse will force you to be my mate for the rest of my life if I choose you. Even if we end up hating each other." Now Remus backed away. But his hand never strayed far from Sirius.

"I could never hate you, Moony." Sirius choked a little, but was able to get his feelings past the mental barriers he used with his parents. "I like you a lot. I want to be that for you."

Remus shook his head. "It's not fair to you."

"It's not fair to you either, but you have no choice," Sirius pointed out. "You will end up with a mate when the wolf reaches maturity. Everything seems to say that will be very soon. So you choose or it chooses. I want you to choose. I want to be yours. If we change enough to want to be apart, well, we'll ask for help."

The lycanthrope stared at his friend carefully, then admitted, "I want that too. But the wolf could get in the way. It's an alpha. It will try to control you."

"So are you," Sirius replied as he bowed his head. "And you controlling me is a good thing."

"You want me to..." Remus choked on the rest.

Sirius nodded. "It feels good to do things for you."

"What about things like snogging?" Remus asked worriedly.

Sirius shivered at the thought. "*Especially* things like snogging."

Remus could tell that Sirius wasn't faking his reaction. So he reached out to touch the other boy's cheek. "We can't do anything here. Madame Pomfrey, well, knows. So she taught me some extra privacy charms. They won't work here."

Sirius dared a kiss to Remus's palm. The answering smile crashed through the tumultuous feelings inside the dark-haired boy to give him joy.

Eager to feel more of it, Sirius bent down to grab Remus's slippers. "Let's go see how well those charms work on four-poster beds."

Caution warred with want inside the studious young man. But his friend was right. He had to choose before the wolf did. He wanted his mate to have his claim, a sign of love, on his being. He wanted Sirius to have a good reason to be bound to him. Animal lust was not enough. That lesson his mother taught him, even though she had known nothing about the wolf's mating habits. Remus suspected that his mum may have dated some people who acted like wolves before finding his dad.

He swore to her that he would give his mate more than those men had given her. So he nodded to Sirius and swung his legs down so his chosen could put the slippers on his feet. When the other young man stood, Remus pulled him closer and kissed him softly.

Sirius took a step back when the kiss ended, but he was smiling. "You'd better stop there if you want your claim to be private."

Remus chuckled. "Sorry."

"I'm not. Knowing you want me...It's the best thought I can have." Sirius helped Remus stand up and let him lean on his shoulder as they walked. 

Madame Pomfrey met them at the door. Her eyes had an understanding look as she faced the lycanthrope. "Have Potter bring him afterwards so I can be sure that no harm was done. I know you will be careful, but I also know you will make yourself ill if you worry too much."

Remus looked at Sirius's calm face, then nodded. "Thank you."

They walked to Gryffindor Tower with their shoulders touching the whole time.

\----

Peter and James had skipped breakfast. James had known that his work for this month was not finished yet. The two boys looked up expectantly from their game of Exploding Snap as the prospective mates entered their room. 

Remus waved all of them onto his bed and closed the curtains. He figured that this would be a good time to test the privacy spells the medi-witch taught him, so he waved his wand solemnly over the curtains before turning back to his friends. 

"Sirius and I-need to take care of something this morning." The words came out awkwardly, in a rush. Not at all like the alpha Sirius declared him to be.

James and Peter nodded knowingly. "You're good for Padfoot," James said with a smile. "I'm glad you'll be there for him."

Peter looked to Sirius. "You need to swear to be there for him. Remus needs that."

Remus blinked in shock as he realized the two boys were acting like they were...getting married. Sirius must have realized it too, because he took the lycanthrope's hand and whispered, "I solemnly swear I will be there for Moony."

So Remus whispered back, "I solemnly swear I will be there for Padfoot."

Prongs and Wormtail then swore to help the mates. Remus took a deep breath as he realized that his friends had once again turned something that he couldn't control into something normal, this time a marriage.

So he thanked them and made James swear to come back there after History of Magic to take Sirius to the infirmary. Peter decided he would watch over Remus while Sirius was gone. "Mr. Potter's book said that sometimes mates have problems when they're separated in the first three days after the mating," the smaller boy reminded his friends.

Remus sighed worriedly, but Prongs and Padfoot just shrugged. "Get Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall if the wolf won't settle," James advised. "It always hides from them. We shouldn't be long in the infirmary."

Once they all agreed, James and Peter gave one last pat to the mates' shoulders and left the room.

Remus stared awkwardly at Sirius as he heard the door shut. He felt pressure to do something, but wasn't sure what. He had gone into this expecting that the wolf would take over. That was why Madame Pomfrey wanted to check Sirius afterwards. But the wolf was calm. It knew that Remus was here to give it what it wanted, so there was no need to rush.

Sirius could see the shyness overtake Remus. With others, he had ignored it. They had caught on soon enough. But now, he wanted to coax, to ease the worry into heat. For once, he wanted to give more than he took. Because by giving, he would become the one this bright soul would look to for comfort and affection. So he slipped into the lycanthrope's arms and settled his head against the soft pyjama top.

Remus instinctively tightened his arms around Sirius. Possessiveness rose in him. He knew it wasn't only from the wolf. And nobody was going to stop him, or take Sirius away. The thought made him lightheaded. So he buried his nose in soft black hair.

A moment later, he was kissing Sirius with an intensity he usually reserved for casting defensive spells.

Sirius wanted to drown in the kiss, but he knew he was the one who would have to gentle the wolf when it inevitably came forth. So, to keep himself slightly distracted, he eased Remus out of his pyjamas after taking off his own clothes. That might not have been the best move. Because all he could do now was stare at the scarred chest he so wanted to touch.

A flash of amber stopped his hesitating. He reached out to soothe the beast, to soothe his love. Then suddenly, as if the curse cast a spell, the heat of mating surrounded them both.

Limbs tangled, sweaty skin slid against its like, groans of pleasure bounced off the charmed curtains and back into their sensitive ears. But it wasn't until teeth dug into the base of his neck that Sirius let go and let the beast have him. For in doing so, he gave himself over to Remus as well. And that just heightened the pleasure reverberating through him.

But then the young man fought back at the beast, as he always did. When he could think again, Sirius immediately had to stop Remus from leaving his arms. "Not yet, Moony. Please."

"You're bleeding," Remus said, panic creeping into his voice.

"It's normal. But yes, I'll get it checked as soon as Prongs gets back. You need to rest. Let me help you sleep." Sirius stroked his hands down the lycanthrope's back. "I'm fine, love."

That last word pushed the tension out of Remus. If Sirius could love him after the beast had its way, it wasn't as bad as he feared. So he let the gentle hands hold him as sleep slipped over him.

Sirius eased himself away from Remus when he heard the room door open. As he had promised, he threw on some clothes so that he could be escorted to the infirmary. He sternly told Peter to stay near the werewolf's bed and avoid loud games until he came back. His absence would be easier for Remus if he slept through it.

An act of sex didn't make one mature, but an act of responsibility could start one down that road. Sirius was now partially responsible for Moony's care. He had been for many months now. The act they just shared simply made it official. He wasn't bothered by any of it. Because Moony gave back to him in every gentle touch, in every soft, loving word that he didn't know he had wanted until it was given.

Their friends had matured with them. Peter picked up a book before settling against the lycanthrope's bedpost. James pulled at the slightly bloody shirt collar to check that Sirius didn't need more immediate attention. Then they went about their tasks with an efficiency that only their fourth applied to schoolwork.

Teenage shoulders couldn't hold the weight of the world for long, however. Sirius was tucked back into Remus's arms, with a bandage and nod of approval from Madame Pomfrey. Then the four of them once again ensconced themselves behind the curtains of the werewolf's bed to plan their next prank, filling the Slytherin common room with self-inflating balloons.

They were Marauders, after all.


End file.
